by admin
November 17th, 2010
New solar monitoring device sets Ingenero solar apart
12th November 2010
With solar energy an increasing trend everywhere in Australia, renewable energy company Ingenero has launched a unique monitoring system allowing households to not only see the solar panels on their roofs, but can also track their production effectiveness.
From today all Ingenero solar systems will include the EcoWattch system, allowing customers to track the efficiency and production levels of their solar power system and access the information on the internet from anywhere in the world.
The system will also automatically generate alerts, notifying the user of periods of interrupted production and communication.
Ingenero CEO Steve McRae says EcoWattch is about keeping consumers informed, but also about providing transparency around product performance.
"EcoWattch is a revolutionary tool, offered exclusively to Ingenero customers," he said. "Customers will have the peace of mind of being able to check the performance of their solar system and track the environmental benefits on a daily, monthly and yearly basis."
The device works by transmitting information from the solar system, collating the data and allowing it to be viewed online.
“For too long solar systems have been installed in Australia without any accountability for their performance. Ingenero's EcoWattch empowers our customers so they can check that their system is being truly effective,” McRae said.
"Ingenero is happy to be held accountable for the quality of its solar installments because we know our product is amongst the best available. EcoWattch is one of the ways we can demonstrate that,” he said.
Professor Paul Meredith, who leads the solar research unit at the University of Queensland said EcoWattch would give households the power to monitor their own solar production and lead to a greater understanding of how solar works.
"As a user of solar electricity systems I understand the benefits this kind of data delivers.
"EcoWattch will allow consumers to watch their solar production in real time and I think this will be deeply satisfying for most people who have made the switch to solar. It will also deliver peace of mind that the system is delivering against its rated performance characteristics.
"This is a capability which is more likely to engage and commit Australians to their solar energy and I hope it helps fuel the trend to solar even further."
CASE STUDY
Leanne McKnoulty has been using EcoWattch for some time and had the following to say:
"I know my panels are up there, but I often wonder what they are producing for me and, more importantly, how they are delivering against the financial investment I've made in the system. EcoWattch gives me the visibility necessary to make this assessment. Otherwise, how would I know?”
“It enables me to monitor the energy production on a daily, weekly and accumulative basis. Even during overcast periods the 3kW system is generating more power than we use.”
“The benefit is, we are encouraged to be more energy efficient because we don’t have to wait for our power bill to see how much we are saving."
